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Netflix has confirmed a major change to its video-streaming service, effective as of this week for at least some users: video ads for other Netflix series between episodes.

The news emerged via user reports, particularly on the primary Netflix Reddit community, in which users claimed that ads for entirely different series would play between episodes of a given show's binging. One initial claim said that "unskippable" ads for the AMC series Better Call Saul appeared between episodes of Rick & Morty and that this ad appeared while using Netflix's smart TV app on an LG set in the UK. Replies to that thread included an allegation that a video ad for I Am A Killer (a Netflix-produced true-crime series) appeared between episodes of the animated comedy Bob's Burgers.

An American Netflix user offered more details for exactly how the ads appear:

After the episode ended, I got a screen saying "More Shameless up next... " then the title card slid off screen, and it continued with, "but first check out Insatiable" [a Netflix-exclusive series] and started playing the trailer.

In a statement given to Ars Technica, Netflix described the change as follows: "We are testing whether surfacing recommendations between episodes helps members discover stories they will enjoy faster." The reasoning, Netflix's statement says, comes from its last controversial decision: to add auto-playing videos, complete with unmuteable audio, while browsing through Netflix content.

Netflix offered a major rebuttal to at least one Reddit claim, pointing out that the ads for Netflix content are entirely skippable.

Further Reading

"A couple of years ago, we introduced video previews to the TV experience, because we saw that it significantly cut the time members spend browsing and helped them find something they would enjoy watching even faster," Netflix's statement says. Netflix did not confirm to Ars whether this new advertising initiative would be limited to specific platforms (smart TVs, game consoles, etc.) or territories or how long this "testing" period might last.

Additionally, a Netflix spokesperson clarified to Ars that the term "test" is key. These ads (which the company emphasizes will only be for Netflix content, not outside products or content) will, at least for now, appear for a "segment" of Netflix's userbase, as opposed to all users.

In response to recent outcry at Reddit's Netflix community, which has largely been negative, Netflix's spokesperson indicated to Ars that the company was mindful of "chatter on social channels" but is focused far more squarely on how users interact with these new video ads. In other words, if users engage with these promotions, Netflix will likely roll them out to many more users. (The company's statement about "video previews" appears to indicate that user data drove those clips' spread across all platforms and devices.)

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I’m not exaggerating when I say that the auto-play feature means I’m more reluctant to open the Netflix app now. I used to open the app, then just click around for a while. I never do that any more because I know that if I do I’ll get tons of unwelcome video (with audio) playing any time I pause on an item. Now I only open the app if I know exactly what I want to watch at the moment *and* that it’s already on Netflix.

Look, Netflix. For all I know your stats show that people engage faster/more when scrolling through the app. But your stats don’t show you if your users are just generally more annoyed and they don’t show you if your users actively think negative thoughts about you while using the app. It’s generally a bad idea to transform your customers from happy or neutral to begrudging.

From the article, it sounds like Netflix is trying out "unskippable" ads as well as "focused far more squarely on how users interact with these new video ads".

So can users interact with these by saying I'm not interested or not?

If my children are watching something under parent supervision, will Netflix decide to show ads unsuitable for children? There's lots of potential here for Netflix to lose market share to Amazon or Disney if they screw this up.

I am honestly not surprised, good content is expensive and netflix seems to have increased their prices as much as they can. i remember a few years back when I had an account still they were really known just for a few good shows and a bunch of crap. this isn't all that surprising.

They already have ads in the opening menu with 'auto-preview'. If you browse through the opening menu of shows and stop moving the cursor for too long, its starts playing an ad for show you are pointing to.

Despite lots pf people complaining about this, they refuse to offer the option of turning this off.

I liked Netflix because it was like having a library of films to watch, rather than regular television with ads. It is getting more and more like regular television. It annoys me enough that I'm seriously thinking of cancelling. I watch too much television as it is. I can use the money for something else.

edit add: as mentioned in the article--I should read the whole thing before posting!

I got one of these ads the other night, and while the show they presented looked interesting, it isn't out yet. So it became as aggravating as third-party ads as far as I'm concerned. And the thought of previews playing while I browse is giving me a bit of a headache. I go out of my way to try to keep ads out of Youtube, I don't want to have to do it here too.

Please give me a way to opt out of these, Netflix. The reason I like you and not Hulu or Amazon Video is because you give me content I want to watch for a flat rate and no bullshit. Don't change this formula.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that the auto-play feature means I’m more reluctant to open the Netflix app now. I used to open the app, then just click around for a while. I never do that any more because I know that if I do I’ll get tons of unwelcome video (with audio) playing any time I pause on an item. Now I only open the app if I know exactly what I want to watch at the moment *and* that it’s already on Netflix.

Look, Netflix. For all I know your stats show that people engage faster/more when scrolling through the app. But your stats don’t show you if your users are just generally more annoyed and they don’t show you if your users actively think negative thoughts about you while using the app. It’s generally a bad idea to transform your customers from happy or neutral to begrudging.

brave new world, I cant even watch some shows because it keeps tripping between 1080p and 144p for no reason, connection steady at 26mbps bursts after a brief 80mbps first load, of course a simple button to set a preference is just too hard for 2018 software, same with games now not-featuring server lists or even map selectors

From the article, it sounds like Netflix is trying out "unskippable" ads as well as "focused far more squarely on how users interact with these new video ads".

So can users interact with these by saying I'm not interested or not?

If my children are watching something under parent supervision, will Netflix decide to show ads unsuitable for children? There's lots of potential here for Netflix to lose market share to Amazon or Disney if they screw this up.

That's my biggest problem with the fucking autostarting videos. Trying to find something for my kid. God forbid I pause for a second on the wrong line while trying to read options.

(oh, and Netflix - whoever said "go" on this shit decision can be fired, blackballed and driven out of the industry, kthxbye)

Yeah Netflix has hands down the best UI from "homepage" through content playback. HBO Now has to be the absolute worst and Amazon isn't much better. I don't know why they don't just copy Netflix.

None of these services have good UIs for people who just want to watch videos. It has been fascinating to learn that either:1) There just aren’t that many good UI designers out there.2) Corporate interests and bureaucracy are so heavy-handed as to cripple the ability of good UI developers to do the jobs to their own satisfaction.3) ? Some other reason for all of their UIs getting worse and worse with each iteration.

Yeah Netflix has hands down the best UI from "homepage" through content playback. HBO Now has to be the absolute worst and Amazon isn't much better. I don't know why they don't just copy Netflix.

Yeah....no. From auto-playing when you hover over ANYTHING to randomly moving your tagged list of content you want to watch around the UI, to crap categories, to poor syncing between devices on where you stop and start, to blocking VPN when I'm using it IN the US to access content from IN the US. Seriously. How hard is it to see that my account was created in the US and where my home IP is located. If I use a VPN at a hotel to avoid throttling and have an exit point in the US. Who gives a shit.

Netflix sucks ass. You may not like Amazon, but its UI isn't bad from a navigation standpoint.

It is useless in the US as well. Dumb categories that do not help. At all.

*New stuff on Prime.*Stuff you get with Prime.*Free stuff you get with Prime.*Stuff now popular across all users of Prime.*Stuff you already saw in the other stuff but slightly rearranged.*4k Stuff on Prime, but that you saw already but less of it.*Pure crap that we paid to create like Splinter Cell but not even like movie length or with plots or quality or anything.*Stuff that is on Prime but you have to pay for.*Premium channels you can get through Prime so that you can log in, go to prime, then go to the channel, then log in, then watch the stuff you could have already been watching with their actual app.*Stuff that comes with a Prime subscription, because why not list that, I mean you only see any of this with Prime right? Why not make yet another stupid category of the same stuff.*Stuff you already watched and should not want to watch again for years but fuckit, we are listing it and you cannot get rid of it.

Obviously you scroll up and down these categories, then click to slowly go into each one at which point you scroll sideways but only on that ones single line, because why use the whole screen if you can instead waste maximum time?

If you are on a Roku then there is the bonus round when trying to leave the app and trying to figure out what stupid combo you have to click this week for this product.

Yeah Netflix has hands down the best UI from "homepage" through content playback. HBO Now has to be the absolute worst and Amazon isn't much better. I don't know why they don't just copy Netflix.

Yeah....no. From auto-playing when you hover over ANYTHING to randomly moving your tagged list of content you want to watch around the UI, to crap categories, to poor syncing between devices on where you stop and start, to blocking VPN when I'm using it IN the US to access content from IN the US. Seriously. How hard is it to see that my account was created in the US and where my home IP is located. If I use a VPN at a hotel to avoid throttling and have an exit point in the US. Who gives a shit.

Netflix sucks ass. You may not like Amazon, but its UI isn't bad from a navigation standpoint.

Randomly moving around "My List", "Continue watching" and "Watch it again" must be the most confusing feature in any VOD system.

No. For fucks sake no. Why do you even need to advertise? You get paid a flat monthly fee not a dollar per show watched.

Obviously you advertise because that is what HBO does. You know, the channel that specifically does NOT binge is the one you copy for your binge channel behavior. Meanwhile HBO got bought by ATT and is rushing to copy everything Netflix does because volume, not quality!

I want to see an endless circle jerk of copying each other for a season then recopying in an endless cycle of bizarre out of sync schemes. I am sure that that would not bother me at all as a UI designer.

#Even cord cutting is not going far enough it seems#Cut the power cord!

As some one on the outside looking in, it has been interesting to watch all the different ways Netflix has found to milk more out of their subscribers over the years. Same with Hulu.

Soon it'll be like in Demolition Man where nothing but commercials will play. There's self driving cars and soon Taco Bell will rule them all! John Spartan must be found and frozen now to save us in the future! lol